Efficient Block Drills to Run With Your Offensive Linemen

Today, we’re going to focus on some football drills that are perfect for your offensive line men.

Drive Block Drill

Drive Block Drill

We’re going to go back to a preset position and get in a stance and then we’re going to work on the two-step pop. That’s simply the pick-up step and then the catch-up step together right there.

So as the offensive lineman gets down, we have the defensive guy with the bag who is going to get just a little bit closer than he normally would with that bag. Because we don’t want him lunging. What we’re looking for right here is the contact point, but you want the contact point with the hips underneath of you and being able to keep the base underneath of you.

Start with right foot, two-step pop, and freeze. Now you’re looking at the impact and the punch that the player’s getting, but you’re also looking at his base position.

Again, the most important thing is to make contact with both feet on the ground. Keeping your feet as wide as your armpits or just a little bit wider is essential.

Now do left foot, alright, two-step pop, and freeze.

All this is is the beginning point of a drive block. It’s a head-up defender. Now we’re going to take it to the next part. One more time we’re going to work on the two-step pop and then we’ll just make it a full drive block.

Right food, two-step pop, and freeze. Now, look at their hands. Their hands should be up, with their thumbs up. That’s going to lock their arms out; they’re not going to give when he gets against the defensive guy.

Now we’re going to put it together. The first part of this is the drive block versus a head-up defender. Which foot they step with is determined by which way the ball’s going. All it is is a two-step pop and then they’re going to take their feet and work them like a piston.

We talk to them about pounding the ground with their feet. You don’t want the foot taken up out of the ground, you want it pounding the ground.

Reach Block Drill

Reach Block Drill

The first block we worked on was a drive block versus a head-up defender. The second thing that’s going to happen in football is that defender moves from head up to an outside technique. If the offensive lineman came off the football and simply tried to execute a drive block, he’ll be knocking the defender into the football.

So when we get an outside technique, we’re going to use a reach block. And I think the thing that’s different about it is that we don’t want the reach block to be a position step. Kids make a mistake in a reach block and their biggest mistake is they want to go parallel first.

If you go parallel first on a reach block, you’ve lost the line of scrimmage. Our first step is going to be that pick-up step right at his outside knee. And that’s the most important step, making sure that they don’t position step.

We’re going to go right foot, reach step, and freeze just to show the technique. Have one player hold the bag up under his chin there. And your offensive player should just pick-up step and freeze.

Every one of those steps are up the field. On a reach block we don’t want to lose the line of scrimmage. We should be able to move the line of scrimmage on a reach block even though it’s against an outside technique.

So we’re going to drill back at the beginning and build a foundation about a pick-up step and freeze. Now the next part of this on a reach block. We teach the kid that his first step’s at the outside knee, and on his second step he wants his face and hands on the outside shoulder pad.

Get your guys lined up in an outside technique with the bag. When that offensive lineman moves, they’re going to take one step with the bag. Right foot, reach step, two steps, and freeze.

Number one thing is we move the line of scrimmage because both steps have been up the field. The second thing is we’re at his outside shoulder pad. The only thing that defensive lineman has to make a tackle with is from his shoulder pad.

From this position, the worst thing you could do is try to swing your hips. If you swing your hips, they get in the way of the running back. What we want a guy to do on a reach block is just drive that line.

Now we’re going to work on a reach block to the left. It’s the same idea. It’s a pick-up step with his foot nearest the knee, right at the knee. On the second step he’s trying to get his face and hands at the outside pad of the defensive lineman. We’re going to go two steps and freeze, ready to reach left, got an outside technique, two steps, and freeze.

Down Block Drill

Down Block Drill

The next block that we want to teach here is a down block.

You get an outside defender. The inside defender is usually trying to penetrate the line of scrimmage. So what we’re trying to do here, again, is move the line of scrimmage.

This is a down block with the left foot. They’ve got an inside technique that’s trying to penetrate the line of scrimmage. They tilt the bag at the left eye, and we’re going to take the pick-up step, and our aiming point here is the head. The middle of that bag is the head of the defensive player. And as they take the two steps and freeze, if you stand behind them as you’re coaching them, you’ll see that the line of scrimmage, their shoulder pads and tails stays parallel. They don’t get crossed over.

The biggest mistake a guy makes in this block is called stepping under the head. He doesn’t step at the head, he tries to twist his foot. And when he does that, he’s stepping under his head, which allows the defensive lineman to penetrate the line of scrimmage.

Let’s work on it right here. Two-step pop, got to down block left, two steps and freeze.

The most important thing is that they snap back to a base position. They’ve got their feet as wide as their shoulder pads or shoulders. They’ve got the hands in the right hitting position. They’re behind their shoulder pads and they have a base under them.

Now all they do from that point is just like they did in a drive block, just like they did in a reach block. They pound the ground with their feet, work them like pistons.

Do you think your offensive linemen would benefit from running through these block football drills? Why or why not–sound off below!